bioRxiv Science⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Fua, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Fua, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

BigNeuron: A resource to benchmark and predict best-performing algorithms for automated reconstruction of neuronal morphology

BigNeuron is an open community bench-testing platform combining the expertise of neuroscientists and computer scientists toward the goal of setting open standards for accurate and fast automatic neuron reconstruction. The project gathered a diverse set of image volumes across several species representative of the data obtained in most neuroscience laboratories interested in neuron reconstruction. Here we report generated gold standard manual annotations for a selected subset of the available imaging datasets and quantified reconstruction quality for 35 automatic reconstruction algorithms. Together with image quality features, the data were pooled in an interactive web application that allows users and developers to perform principal component analysis, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, correlation and clustering, visualization of imaging and reconstruction data, and benchmarking of automatic reconstruction algorithms in user-defined data subsets. Our results show that image quality metrics explain most of the variance in the data, followed by neuromorphological features related to neuron size. By benchmarking automatic reconstruction algorithms, we observed that diverse algorithms can provide complementary information toward obtaining accurate results and developed a novel algorithm to iteratively combine methods and generate consensus reconstructions. The consensus trees obtained provide estimates of the neuron structure ground truth that typically outperform single algorithms. Finally, to aid users in predicting the most accurate automatic reconstruction results without manual annotations for comparison, we used support vector machine regression to predict reconstruction quality given an image volume and a set of automatic reconstructions.

bioinformatics↗

LiftPose3D, a deep learning-based approach for transforming 2D to 3D pose in laboratory animals

Markerless 3D pose estimation has become an indispensable tool for kinematic studies of laboratory animals. Most current methods recover 3D pose by multi-view triangulation of deep network-based 2D pose estimates. However, triangulation requires multiple, synchronized cameras and elaborate calibration protocols that hinder its widespread adoption in laboratory studies. Here, we describe LiftPose3D, a deep network-based method that overcomes these barriers by reconstructing 3D poses from a single 2D camera view. We illustrate LiftPose3Ds versatility by applying it to multiple experimental systems using flies, mice, rats, and macaque monkeys and in circumstances where 3D triangulation is impractical or impossible. Our framework achieves accurate lifting for stereotyped and non-stereotyped behaviors from different camera angles. Thus, LiftPose3D permits high-quality 3D pose estimation in the absence of complex camera arrays, tedious calibration procedures, and despite occluded body parts in freely behaving animals.

animal behavior and cognition↗

DeepFly3D: A deep learning-based approach for 3D limb and appendage tracking in tethered, adult Drosophila

Studying how neural circuits orchestrate limbed behaviors requires the precise measurement of the positions of each appendage in 3-dimensional (3D) space. Deep neural networks can estimate 2-dimensional (2D) pose in freely behaving and tethered animals. However, the unique challenges associated with transforming these 2D measurements into reliable and precise 3D poses have not been addressed for small animals including the fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Here we present DeepFly3D, a software that infers the 3D pose of tethered, adult Drosophila--or other animals--using multiple camera images. DeepFly3D does not require manual calibration, uses pictorial structures to automatically detect and correct pose estimation errors, and uses active learning to iteratively improve performance. We demonstrate more accurate unsupervised behavioral embedding using 3D joint angles rather than commonly used 2D pose data. Thus, DeepFly3D enables the automated acquisition of behavioral measurements at an unprecedented level of resolution for a variety of biological applications.

animal behavior and cognition↗